Manager - Legal

As a Manager – Legal at ideaForge, a listed leader in the drone industry, you will be responsible for managing and driving the legal function with a sharp focus on business enablement, compliance, and governance. This role requires an experienced legal professional with proven expertise in managing end-to-end complex contractual negotiations and closures, ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements, and safeguarding the company’s interests while enabling strategic growth.

The position demands a proactive leader who can anticipate risks, balance business objectives with legal safeguards, engage effectively with senior management, regulators, investors, and law firms, and ensure the highest standards of corporate governance in a listed environment.

Key Responsibilities

1. Contractual & Deal Negotiations

• Lead the closure of complex, high-value agreements (strategic partnerships, technology collaborations, customer/vendor contracts, IP licensing, and cross-border arrangements).
• Draft, review, and negotiate contracts with a focus on practical risk mitigation, business objectives, and long-term enforceability.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders (Sales, Procurement, Finance, Tech, R&D) to ensure business needs are achieved while safeguarding legal boundaries.
• Build contract negotiation strategies, clearly defining fallback positions, escalation mechanisms, and closure timelines.
• Maintain contract lifecycle management processes and ensure effective use of digital tools for execution and tracking.

2. Corporate & Securities Law Compliance (Listed Entity Focus)

• Draft, vet, and review documents related to M&A transactions, Joint Ventures, fund-raises, strategic investments, shareholder agreements.

3. Regulatory & Sectoral Compliance

• Ensure continuous compliance with Drone Rules, DGCA regulations, export control laws, Import-Export policies, insurance, and defense procurement compliances.
• Monitor global regulatory developments affecting drones and assess business impact.
• Conduct legal research on various topics related to drone manufacturing, intellectual property, contract law, regulatory compliance and various allied legislations related to the drone industry
• Build internal compliance frameworks, policies, and SOPs for proactive adherence to domestic and international laws.

4. Disputes & Litigation Management

• Manage disputes, arbitrations, commercial claims, and litigation matters, coordinating strategy with external law firms where needed.
• Handle regulatory notices, inquiries, or audits with proactive strategy preparation.
• Oversee civil, criminal, and IP-related litigations, ensuring cost-efficient and business-sensitive resolutions.

5. Risk & Strategic Advisory

• Provide clear legal inputs to senior leadership on business related matters, cybersecurity/data privacy implications, and export transactions.
• Identify and assess legal, regulatory, contractual, and reputational risks; propose actionable mitigations.
• Act as a strategic partner, not just a legal reviewer, enabling senior management to take informed business decisions confidently.

6. External & International Legal Engagement

• Lead engagement with global law firms and counsel on cross-border contracts and compliance (US, EU, APAC).
• Drive foreign customer/vendor agreement closures, ensuring compliance with US laws and insurance frameworks.
• Oversee dispute resolution in overseas jurisdictions where required.

7. Training & Awareness

• Conduct internal training for leadership and teams on evolving industry-specific regulations, drone laws, corporate compliance, anti-bribery/anti-trust, and contract best practices.
• Build a compliance culture across functions through awareness programs and practical guidance.

Qualifications & Experience

• LLB/LLM from a recognized institution (Company Secretary qualification a plus).
• 7–12 years of progressive legal experience, preferably in manufacturing/tech/aerospace/defense industries.
• Strong expertise in contract negotiation and closure of complex business agreements.
• In-depth knowledge of corporate, securities, and compliance laws relevant to a listed company.
• Demonstrated ability to partner with CXOs, business teams, regulators, and investors.
• Strong litigation/law firm coordination background.
• Proven ability to thrive in a fast-evolving, regulated, high-growth listed company environment.

Key Traits for Success

• Business-enabling mindset with strong negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Strategic thinker with hands-on problem-solving capability.
• Ability to independently lead legal closures under tight timelines.
• High levels of integrity, professional ethics, and ownership.
• Excellent cross-border communication, drafting, and presentation skills.